In a '13 Brooklyn plea proceeding, former FIFA exec Chuck Blazer “revealed a stunning level of graft among international soccer’s top management” (N.Y. POST, 6/4). Among the highlights of the court transcripts made public Wednesday:
After Judge Raymond Dearie ordered doors locked and the hallway cleared, Blazer admitted he had taken bribes from bidders seeking to host the '98 and '10 World Cups, and then “he uttered the plea that would help lead to corruption charges against top officials of FIFA: guilty.”
- Blazer: “I agreed with other persons in or around 1992 to facilitate the acceptance of a bribe in conjunction with the selection of the host nation for the 1998 World Cup.”
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- Blazer: “I and others on the FIFA executive committee agreed to accept bribes in conjunction with the selection of South Africa as the host nation for the 2010 World Cup" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/4).
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- Dearie turned to the plea agreement and asked Blazer, “Would you agree that this is an important 19 pages in your life right now?”
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In an “amusing aside,” Dearie said he could not figure out the acronym used by the Federation Internationale de Football Association. Dearie: “I don’t know how you pronounce it.” “FIFA, your honor,” said
Evan Norris, an Assistant U.S. Attorney (
N.Y. POST, 6/4).
